1) Dominican University hosted a pre-screening of the documentary film "This Changes Everything" as part of the One Earth Film Festival, which aims to increase understanding of climate change and sustainability. 2) The film, directed by Naomi Klein's husband Avi Lewis, is based on Klein's book of the same name and focuses on viewing climate change as an opportunity to build a better world rather than just a crisis. 3) After the film, there was a panel discussion with six Dominican University professors to discuss the issues raised in the film and generate communication on climate change as the Green Community Connections' goal for the event.

1. It’s Not About the Polar Bears: Dominican Pre-Screens This Changes Everything
Amanda Ybarra
The Lund Auditorium glows warmly in the cold February night and the distinct
electricity of activity fills the air outside. Something was most definitely afoot. That
something was that Dominican University was host and sponsor to a prescreening of
“This Changes Everything” on Thursday, February 11th. The film was part of the One
Earth Film Festival, whose purpose is to facilitate a greater understanding of climate
change, sustainability and the power of human involvement. The organizer of the film
festival itself is Green Community Connections. Green Community Connections
describes itself as “a community- based organization that was founded in the Oak Park
and River Forest area that works in collaboration with the people and to provide a place
to tap into conversations about sustainability issues, help develop a deeper understanding
of natural systems and promote sustainibitly within families, organizational and public
policy”. The Film This Changes Everything eloquently fulfilled their purposes.
A jovially hopeful audience began to file into the Fine Arts building. Light
refreshments were served and a poster board presentation outlining Dominican’s own
plans to establish a bio-diverse garden behind Parmer added to the ambience of the
intellectual stimulation to ensue. At 7:00 doors were opened and eagerly students,
faculty, and community members filled the lower basin of the Auditorium.
A brief introduction was made by Monica Halloran, she invited the audience to
“engage, discuss and question what we can do as an individual to create change” while
watching the film. The movie itself is the product of Naomi Klein who is a Canadian
author, social activist, and filmmaker. This Changes Everything is based on her book This

2. Changes Everything: Capitalism vs. The Climate and was directed by Avi Lewis who is a
Canadian filmmaker known for his previous work “The Take” (2004) and “The Shock
Doctrine” (2007). Lewis is also Klein’s husband. It is easy to ask what makes Klein’s
movie so different? Climate change is important and people know about it - right? For
starters, Klein’s perspective is distinct she posed the question as can we see climate
change not just as a crisis but as an opportunity to build a better world?
As the lights went down in the auditorium the chirping of lively chatter quieted.
The screen illuminated with vibrant imagery from serene natural landscapes, to Martian
like tracts of depleted land. Klein begins with a story, she narrates that she is not
impacted by the images of polar bears desperately fighting for life on melting glaciers.
That it makes her want to look away and that story of climate change isn’t about the polar
bears. The movements of the film are stark, purposeful; each scene is composed to elicit
the maximum emotional response. The pacing was ideal – fast enough to keep the
audience ensnared in the narrative but slow enough to allow the gravity of the situations
and content to really sink in.
Klein’s focus was on personal stories, individual narratives of fellow humans. In
this respect she swims against the torrid current that other climate change films and
advocates follow. She focuses on the impact on humans not nature or animals so that at
the end she returns to the beginning narrative - It’s not about the polar bears it’s about us.
The night concluded with a panel to answer any questions raised by the movie. It
consisted of six Professors: Scott Cummings (Chemistry), Patrick Homan (Political
Science), Scott Kreher (Biology), Tim Milinovich (Theology), Susan Schmitz
(Economics), and Tama Weisman (Philosophy). Conversation among the audience

3. members began slowly but built up to a dense crescendo. The panelist’s repartee amongst
one another was delightful and added to the inclusive, intimate nature of the screening.
The discussion was one of the focal points of the night, as the Green Community
Connection’s goal is to generate communication. Dr. Homan offered his statement on
why this discussion in partnership with Dominican students is so important “ Every
generation has had some type of issue to rally around, there was Civil Rights, there was
Vietnam, there was the Anti-Nuclear movement, there were all sorts of things… I wonder
if climate change will be that thing that rally young people around one issue”
The event screening was something not to be missed, Klein’s work is informative,
stunning and captivating, those who did not attend still have a chance to be involved. The
One Earth Film Fest runs from March 4th -6th and will showcase 35 films around the
Chicago area.